Homage to the late Comrade Jacob Odipo, a grassroots community organizer and memberBunge La Mwananchi movement

Homage to the late Comrade Jacob Odipo, a grassroots community organizer and memberBunge La Mwananchi movement.

 On Saturday 13^th /11/2010 members of Bunge La Mwananchi social movement , human rights activist , comrades and friends will take another  difficult journey from different direction to  uanya thim  village, Boro East  location Siaya County  to return the remains of  the late Jacob Odipo to the soil of our ancestors, In this Journey down memory line  in  the life of grassroots activist there will be many lessons to learn and draw from the life of  the Late Jacob Odipo, who passionately organized and shaped Bunge La Mwananchi in a formidable social movement  that has become  social-political home for many grassroots activist in struggle for social change in Kenya .

         Personally  I met the late Jacob Odipo at the historic Jeevanjee Gardens, in the early 2003, and due to the contradiction that were sharpening in the country and manifesting   at the bunge debates in Jeevanjee   Gardens with opening of new democratic space under NARC regime , many times in this debates I would  find  myself in the same side of debate with late comrade Jacob Odipo, taking a position of the exploited masses of workers and peasants  away from the position that was being  taken by dominant ethnic hegemony of Gikuyu and Luo.during  in those early days of National Rainbow Coalition government  (NARC),  after the debates we would meet occasionally for a mug of tea at Kikwetu restaurants and continue with discussion   during this time  Jacob Odipo was working with Insurance agencies  and myself  I was working with Litigation Fund against torture LIFAT, we continued to educate our self where we formed a study group that we invited occasionally |Prof. Maina Wakinyatti at Kenya Polytechnic during evening hour to advance our consciousness with comrades from RPP,   some times we would raise fair to attend   labour  day  cerebration with flower workers  in Naivaha  with members of Mwakenya- DTM  with this political activism our  comradely relationship was forged until when he died at Siaya District hospital on 4/11/2010 .

   I can write a book on the life of grassroots activist, the Late Jacob Odipo but due to limited time and other circumstances that came with his untimely death I will share some memorable incidents that have remained as defining moments between the late Odipo and myself in struggle to build the bunge la mwananchi social movements in very difficulty terrain with very limited resources cynical civil society and brutality of the Kenya police, which apposed our right to organize as movement.

    Flask back to history it was on 31st May, 2008 when bunge La Mwananchi and other grassroots networks organized a right to food procession starting from Jeevanjee Gardens Park to Huruma Sports Ground. The procession was to protest the unchecked escalating food prices and demand  the coalition government intervention, we had started very well with speeches and songs  at JeeVanjee Gardens the historic   bunge base and before the  colorful procession reached nation centre via Kimathi street, the former Cental Divisional police bass OCPD  Tito Kilonzi with contingent of anti-riot police  disrupted  the procession  violently near Jamia mosque , The late Jacob Odipo and myself  we were carrying the bunge banner  of Bunge La Mwananchiwe felt very betrayed on the actions of police who we had notified the intention of our procession. And we could not fold our banner and run away knowing very well that we had right to organize against injustices in our country , we summoned our courage and we decided to much  on to the nation centre with our banner from kimathi street, immediately before we reached the nation centre the  central OCPD followed us with his 504 Peugeot with siren ups and before he had organized his ant-riot police to arrest us  we had energized again the procession and  our members converged again and procession proceeded to Huruma  estate  although  six of us were arrested and taken to central police station where we were detained for four days, during this time the police invited criminal elements to come to our cell and intimidate us and stop demanding our rights ,  while we were resisting  one of our comrade who was standing in the door of our cells  was pulled by this elements that were receiving support from police and taken to a dark cell near the toilet where they  wanted to harm him   it was only  the intervention of the Late comrade  Jacob Odipo that  saved the said comrade  by storming that cell  and    rescuing the said comrade before he was harmed seriously ,  this was   part of many sacrifices that  were embodiment of the Late Jacob Odipo life in struggle and as member of bunge la Mwananchi social movement.

When history will be written about bunge la Mwananchi the Late, Jacob Odipo will be remembered on his great contribution to the movement  in the progressive debates and organizing grassroots meeting that give birth to bunge women social movements   in Kiamaiko  ,Huruma , and Mathare that he continued to support up to his last days, we cerebrate Odipo   as strategist , debater and courageous grassroots activist  who immortalized his life in social movement building in Kenya and  East Africa  armed with ideas to form bunges chapter across the country while working with many other progressive forces like Movemement for Political accountability( MOPA Kenya Against Impunity Networ( KAI) PROGESSIVE PARTIES ALLIANCE (PROPA) which was a formation of social movements , and students movements (SONU) and SAFINA party of Hon Paul . Muite     We pay our homage  to the Editor in chief of Bunge La Mwananchi newsletter , who inspired hope resistance to the Kenyan youth  while using many tactics to educate the  masses on the question of social change in Kenya and our mother land Africa , he contributed  greatly in constitutional reforms debate  that give Kenya new dispensation he was freedom fighter for social justice , right to food , access to water for all , healthcare that even  when he was admitted to siaya District hospital he was still question the system of  healthcare in Kenya that had  denied him his basic right has he was forced to buy drugs and syringes in order to get   treatment.

  We hail Jacob Othiambo Odipo as young Pan- Africanist who attended the recent Mwalimu Julius Nyerere intellectual festival; in Dar Es Salaam University in April 2010 to and advance ideas of Africa unity not forgetting also his contribution   in World Social Forum in 2007 with Latin- America delegation that was organized by Hon.  Mwadawiro Mganga at Kasarani on the question of political parties and social movements and the lessons that Africa can draw from the social movement in Latin America where there is strong social movements

From, left, Keli Musyoka, I    , Aggrey Ifedha, The late Jacob Odipo with blue Jacket and Samson Ojiayo far right. During the Movement  community work at Huruma Estate.

  We will continue with struggle of building more bunges across the country as   our comrade had started because the finest flowers that we can immortalize the memory of our comrade Jacob Odipo 13h November 2010 at Siaya  Boro west location    uanya thim l village in Siaya County   are  the bullets of social justice, shells of truth and accountability and the missiles of commitment in building Bunge la Mwanachi social movement  as  united front for  all progressive forces in  Kenya  vigilant in implementing the new constitution  as hope for future generation that Late , |Comrade Odipo fought for in his life .

 Lastly we know very well as other comrades have said  that the Late Jacob Odipo  was on of  human rights activist  that  have died recently as  victim of  poverty related disease that is killings our peoples everywhere in our villages, as inherently  and violent  neo-liberal economy  continue to   exposes our  public healthcare institutions   to the  greed of market forces and corruption networks in Kenya.

Aluta Continua.

Gacheke Gachihi

Bunge La Mwananchi  Member and Comrade of the Late Jacob Odipo.